saffrey2
UncategorizedMarch 29, 2016

SEBI Gets Two-Year Extension

The successful Social Enterprise Boost Initiative (SEBI) has been extended for another two years, thanks to funding from the United States Agency for International Development.

Saffrey Brown, general manager of the JN Foundation, said that the initial three-year project was given an extension last December. SEBI’s objectives are to make social enterprises better businesses, create a network for them to flourish, and to improve the public’s awareness of and attitude towards them.

“The newest is to turn SEBI into its own social enterprise so that when the project is finished it is able to continue to provide enabling services and support to the social enterprise sector,” she said.

The application process begins on April 4 and ends on April 22. The original SEBI pioneers launched 15 new products and services, formed 29 micro enterprises, employed more than 130 community members and generated J$37.7 million in revenues. Brown is optimistic that ‘SEBI Two’ will be equally successful.

“We are able to take lessons learned and adapt the project. Going forward, there will be many more opportunities for the ‘open network’,” she said. Brown noted that there are social enterprises that are not necessarily part of objective one, which is the business incubation phase.

MORE TRAINING

“But there will be a lot more training. We’re going to have some great rap sessions that look to address some of the issues that different social enterprises are trying to address,” she said.

“Another big component is that we’re opening up SEBI to social entrepreneurs, so it’s not just groups. It’s individuals who are providing solutions to some of Jamaica’s greatest challenges. It’s really about creating an opportunity for people and groups that have innovative solutions to be able to get out there and now provide those within the market.”

SEBI will be searching for 15 new enterprises or entrepreneurs for objective one (making them better businesses).

Six pioneer SEBI enterprises, namely Superior Craft and More; Breezy Castle Centre (Multicare Foundation); The Source; Cockpit Treats (Ulster Spring Women’s Group); Image Training Centre (Dress For Success Jamaica); and Mustard Seed, will be brought back as they are now in growth phase.

Owners of social enterprises and social entrepreneurs can log on to www.sebijm.com to find out more.

 

 

http://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/news/20160328/sebi-gets-two-year-extension

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Renee Rattray
UncategorizedMarch 9, 2016

Godfrey Stewart High teacher wins Mathematics Teacher of the Year award

KINGSTON, Jamaica – Oneal McLeod, a teacher at Godfrey Stewart High School in Westmoreland, is the 2016 Mathematics Teacher of the Year 2016.

He was named as the winner of the coveted award during the National Mathematics forum today (March 8), at the Jamaica Conference Centre, downtown Kingston.

“Words can’t explain how I am feeling right now,” said an elated McLeod in an interview with JIS News following the award ceremony.

“I really love teaching. I love helping students and this will serve as a motivation for me as a teacher going forward, so right now, I feel really overwhelmed,” he added.

He said the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information – led competition, served as an opportunity for teachers to highlight their strengths, while also sharing best practices. He vowed to continue being an inspiration to his students.

McLeod was selected as the winner from five national finalists. A total of 107 primary and secondary school teachers from across the six education regions were nominated.

His prizes include a one-year membership to the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM), which is world’s largest organisation concerned with mathematics education, as well as a trip to San Francisco for the NCTM 2016 Conference.

Debra Morrison Muir of the Jessie Ripoll Primary school was runner-up. Other finalists were Marlon McKenzie of the Holy Trinity High School; Karen Hartley of Bethabara Primary; and Nerissa Stephens from Little London Primary.

The contestants were observed teaching mathematics lessons by members of regional and national mathematics teams as well as education officers.

They were also interviewed by a panel of judges on mathematics teaching and learning and discussed effective strategies to address the needs of struggling learners. Individuals were scored based on these interactions.

 

http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/latestnews/Maths2016-03-08T17-09-47

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UncategorizedMarch 4, 2016

Senior Educator Urges Teachers to ‘Step Up Their Game’

Joan Spencer-Ernandez, lecturer in Special Education at the School of Education, The University of the West Indies, has called for teachers to ‘step up their game’ and be better prepared for the mixed ability classroom where students have diverse needs.
She was speaking recently at a Professional Development Day exercise for teachers from the Buff Bay and Port Maria Primary Schools, participants in the JN Foundation’s iLead educational leadership programme. The three-year initiative is being conducted in partnership with the Ministry of Education and is targeted to improve student outcomes at five schools in eastern parishes during year one of the programme.
The workshop provided teachers with practical tips and strategies to improve literacy.
Mrs. Spencer-Ernandez, who is also a consultant to the iLead programme, expressed concern that many teachers were still employing a ‘one size fits all’ approach in the classroom and do not plan for students who may be ahead or behind the class average.

“The curriculum provided is intended as a guide,” she explained, “and lessons must be adjusted to meet varying ability levels.”
She also urged teachers to be creative in their approach to improving literacy levels, and not rely only on prescribed texts for their lessons. Using material already available in the classroom, she demonstrated to the more than 50 participants how different levels of comprehension questions could be set from posters showing mathematical shapes and from food labels.

“I do not subscribe to the usual defence that resources are insufficient. Grade one or grade five reading material can be used in the grade four classroom if that is what the student’s reading level requires,” she advised.

In a follow-up interview, Mrs. Spencer-Ernandez spoke about the need for teacher training institutions to better equip teachers to meet the needs of a diverse population of students, and advocated for the support of the Ministry of Education in establishing new courses in Literacy and Numeracy strategies in that regard.
She also pointed to the need for parents to work in tandem with the school by supporting teachers’ assessments of the literacy needs of their children; and the provision of different textbooks, if the teacher has determined that those would better support their children’s needs.

“The school environment is really about everyone achieving his or her full potential,” she concluded.
Dr Renee Rattray, director of education projects at JN Foundation who oversees the iLead programme, also underscored the need for teachers to plan for the diversities that exist in their classrooms.
“A doctor does not write the same prescription for all of his patients; and, in my experience as an educator, students who are appropriately assessed, stimulated and nurtured produce exciting results,” she said.
The director of education projects further revealed, “We have already seen improvements in behaviour stemming from the change management programmes we have started, and we are confident that these will translate into many areas of progress in these schools.”

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